What a time to be alive, huh? Intense stuff going on and what’s fascinating is how many people believe what is transparently untrue, more so, how many are coming out of the closet everywhere to pledge allegiance to this new world order. On the other side, we have so many sinking into despair, and while that is understandable, this is a time to fight and fight hard, because while chaos is happening in the US, it’s bigger risk is it spiralling out and consuming the world.
So, what’s going on and are we really witnessing a coup?
I’ve been going really deep across all the media and experts I follow, trying to piece everything together. It’s a massively complex situation, and most of what I’m hearing just doesn’t stack up, and it’s certainly not capturing the depth and risk of the situation we are in.
That meant I had to keep digging, going wider, and finding new voices I’ve missed in the past. Boy, it’s mind-blowing out there, because you can’t go wide without seeing awful ugliness too. That’s something I really hate about this time, how hateful so many have become.
This is my take-away so far
One thing is VERY clear – this isn’t about Trump, although he’s obviously bought in, but if we only focus there, we are missing what’s really going on. Elon Musk is obviously the other main character in this “show” (did you see the Time Magazine cover?) but there are many more at play – J.D. Vance, Peter Thiel, Brian Armstrong, Ben Horowitz, Marc Andressen, David Sacks, Balaji Srivisan and Curtis Yarvin – who is known as the philosopher, the prophet, or Lord Yarvin.
This group of men have been talking about their plans in public for YEARS and they’ve been trying to make it a reality in California already. It’s no secret what they want and it’s certainly not a conspiracy, so when you dig into this piece of history, you finally grasp what’s going on, and it’s stunning.
If you map their plans to what is happening, you realize it IS a coup, and it’s uniquely possible because Trump was re-elected this time. If he had won a second consecutive term, we wouldn’t be in this situation. It was his four years out of office that gave the massive team behind him (Project 2025, Christian Nationalism, the Nerd Reich, all of the Think Tanks, and many more…) the time to get this plan in place, ready to pounce on day one – and boy have they pounced.
I talked about this on The Know Show yesterday, and today, this interview with Gil Durán was published on Meidastouch. PLEASE watch this. It’s vital to understand.
It’s discussed in the video, but to provide some context, one of the ideas by Lord Yarvin is called The Butterfly Revolution (originally a novel by author William Butler, published in 1961) and Yarvin’s interpretation looks like this – although my words explaining each:
- Campaign on autocracy – the message is all about destroying an inefficient and broken system. Now we know our systems are broken and need fixing, but destroying? That doesn’t bode well
- Purge the bureaucracy – in the video, he discusses the acronym RAGE, which means Retire All Government Employees – well that’s happening, and AI will run the government. When listening to Trump you know he’s speaking of this when he says: “our plans to dismantle the deep state.” Another really interesting part of this story is the training/jobs page on Project 2025 – think of it as a LinkedIn for Conservatives. Check it out.
- Ignore the courts – that is already happening and with so much moving so quickly, it will be impossible to keep up – by design of course. The US Supreme Court ruling giving immunity to the President makes a lot more sense now
- Co-opt Congress – the goal here is only pick leaders loyal to you, not to the American people
- Centralize police and government powers – what could possibly go wrong?
- Shut down elite media and academic institutions – this is alarming, and we regularly hear Trump calling universities “hostile.” Honestly, I don’t expect institutions like Harvard will be around for long anymore – watch this space. This line of attack is always a sign of authoritarianism. Just think back to the fall of Persia – it was the intellectuals and academics who were the first to go or be persecuted, and if you look at Iran today, how’s that gone for them? When it comes to the media, that war continues (Politico in the firing line this week, among many more) and honestly, there is basically no left leaning media remaining. You can’t have Democracy when only one side is heard
- Turn out your people – the release of all January 6th insurrectionists makes sense now, and the local militias are sure to be greasing up their weapons. Hey, we had a Nazi demonstration in Cincinnati just today, so pay attention my American friends
Here’s Yarvin talking about The Butterfly Revolution back in 2022. It doesn’t sound like he had much confidence in Trump then – The butterfly revolution – by Curtis Yarvin – Gray Mirror – how things have changed. Note: there’s a paid section for this article, which I couldn’t access. But search with his name and the Butterfly Revolution, plenty out there.
Also, please understand this – this story isn’t about Trump and the idea that he will “get rid” of Elon Musk is preposterous, and yet all of the media are still talking about it. That’s never going to happen, because Musk is the new CEO of the United States of America, Trump is the Chairman. Trump brought the MAGA voters, this lot brought everyone else, which has created a perfect opportunity to implement their coup. This is what’s happened. Right before our eyes. Amazing.
Traditional media is missing it
When I read articles like this – ‘In a real sense, US democracy has died’: how Trump is emulating Hungary’s Orbán – I think it’s missing this bigger context. We’ve heard for years so many contradictory perspectives on Trump – he’s not intelligent, he IS intelligent, don’t underestimate him, he has dementia, etc… – and honestly, what is it?
But one thing we do know – he is not capable of doing this himself. He’s just not. I also don’t see the situation happening right now in the US as a replication of Orbán’s Hungary, it’s so much deeper and we need to get our heads around it right now.
Here’s the biggest challenge we face – as always – we lack the imagination to comprehend something of this scale. We can’t see that it’s possible, because how could we imagine it? It’s such a dramatic change, happening before our eyes, but we already ignore many crisis happening right in front of us, so hardly a surprise. And besides, who are the winners here really?
Join me on a journey of possibilities
To expand on this thought, I was thinking back to an article I read about a high-class escort spilling the beans on what happens behind closed doors at Davos. She talks about the fact that ALL of the elites know that climate change is a massive threat, and they all believe we are doomed. That’s not something we hear about in the media, is it? It’s a hoax, right?
However, if they know it’s not a hoax and you’re one of the richest people in the world, who knows we’ve gone too far – what are you going to do about it? Have a good time, like the article suggests? Or perhaps there’s another way?
The best chance we have is our world coming together and reducing our impact right across the global middle class by 70%, while the mega wealthy must reduce their impact by something like 99%. The problem is no one wants to lead on that message, and the richest certainly don’t want us to know that.
But we CAN live in harmony with our planet, and it is possible to have a lifestyle in balance with nature – we just don’t seem to want to do it or to even consider it. Our leaders aren’t showing us the way either, and that’s a problem.
To change at the scale required will result in a fracturing from the way we live today – bend or break – no question about it. Only massive change matters right now. However, the coup leaders have recognized our plight, and their idea on how to deal with this situation is resulting in the civilizational fracturing we are experiencing right now. The difference is, they’re NOT acting in our interest at all.
That brings us to this moment, and they’ll lead us all on the path they think is right, and many MANY of us will be left out in the cold, or the heat, or the floods, or starving, or, or, or. They don’t care. They really don’t. They think we’re doomed anyway.
Let’s get rid of them
Another thought and stay with me here. The elites probably believe they can survive if the vast majority of humanity are wiped out – whether through wars, civil unrest, pandemics, famine, heat extremes, all other forms of extreme weather, and on it goes.
Why? If millions or billions of humans die, we might actually be able to cool the planet. And there is terrible precedence for this.
The colonisation of the Americas resulted in more than 50 million people dying of genocide or disease, and because of this, 56 million hectares of land were abandoned. The result? The mass vacancy resulted in a sudden “terrestrial carbon uptake” when the land was reclaimed by nature.
This resulted in The Little Ice Age, which happened nearly 100 years after Columbus arrived in the Americas, where winters in North America and Europe were, on average, approximately two degrees colder than the current era.
Is that the plan of the elites? Ensure enough of humanity is wiped out, so the world can cool down? They can go and live in their bunkers or in Praxis Nation while the regeneration happens? It might take 100 years, maybe less if large enough chunks of the world lose humans, and besides, you can plan for 100 years of isolation in a well designed city, high enough above sea level, with the appropriate needs met for a smaller community, right?
Too far? I don’t think so. Elon’s young acolyte “Big Balls,” who resigned in disgrace for many reasons, was also a eugenicist, and there are a LOT of people in the “digital halls” I wander who see a mass reduction in humanity as a critical way to fight the climate emergency. This way of thinking is VERY common.
But we’re on Mother Earth-time not DOGE-time
The problem is, I think they might have their timing wrong. Praxis is going to take a long time to build. In the meantime…
January was 1.75C° above pre-industrial levels, and that was not expected at all – Hottest January on record called ‘terrifying’ by climate scientists after defying expectations | The Independent.
And James Hansen and his team released a report saying global warming has accelerated and 2C° warming is now dead. That’s the end of the coral reefs – Full article: Global Warming Has Accelerated: Are the United Nations and the Public Well-Informed?
Here’s the video discussion following the report
It’s time to fight my friends. Don’t sit this one out. It’s not an ‘over there’ issue, it’s an everywhere issue. Does the future they are driving include you and your family? Does it include your neighbours? I don’t think any of us can believe we’re included in this plan, so what are we going to do about it?
Imagine my friends, imagine it all. Follow the threads of the stories today, don’t sit in the glare of the nonsense being spread, go deeper, listen harder, spend the time considering all options and then ask yourself – what am I going to do about it?
Favorite visual or meme
I know grim, but remember, Trump is a distraction
![](https://andreatedwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Help-819x1024.jpg)
From The New Yorker
![](https://andreatedwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/New-Yorker-726x1024.jpg)
Chortle!
![](https://andreatedwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Chortle.jpg)
My content and my pals
It was great to get back on The Know Show yesterday with Joe Augustine and Tim Wade. Did you have a listen? Come on, give us your support and it’s just a bit of time to dedicate, where we break it all down and discuss what we’re learning. We do the work, so you don’t have to.
Support the amazing Carole Cadwalladr. She’s been raising the alarm on the techbros for YEARS!
![](https://andreatedwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Quotes-1024x1024.jpg)
Dig into the news
Plenty more to read, listen to or watch, so do click through to the reads at the image below, and a reminder, this platform has articles going back weeks, so have a scan and read/watch/listen to whatever jumps out at you.
![Andrea T Edwards](https://andreatedwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Weekend-Reads-Andrea-T-Edwards-1-1024x169.jpg)
Let me know what caught your attention? Or share with me what has your attention now? There’s a lot going on, which means none of us can cover everything. Besides, it’s always great to get feedback so I know I’m delivering something of value.
Cheers
Andrea
All my contact information is here.
If you want to support my work, please share my work, subscribe to my social channels, or at least buy me a coffee here.
![The Know Show, Climate Courage](https://andreatedwards.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Andrea-T-Edwards-Weekend-Reads-1024x169.jpg)
Uncommon Courage: an invitation
Uncommon Courage is an invitation to be your courageous best self every day. It’s also an antidote to the overwhelm, fear, and rage rolling around the world. But it’s more than a book; it’s an invitation to join an inclusive community that wants to better understand humanities challenges – both global and personal – in order to take courageous action and create a better world for everyone.
You can buy it on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Booktopia, Smashwords, Kobo, Gardners, Odilo, Indie Bound, BookShop by BookTrib and Scribd.
Better yet, order it from your local bookstore, so you can #SupportLocal.
You can read the reviews, including a new five-star review on Book Commentary, another five-star review on ReaderViews, a review on BookTrib, and three more on Booklife, another on Book Commentary and Blue Ink Reviews. I’m also collating reviews on my Website too. Have a look and grateful to everyone who has written or recorded one.
Come and join the conversation in my Facebook Group One Billion People with Uncommon Courage.
Listen in to the Uncommon Courage, the podcast on Apple, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are published.
The Know Show
Check out The Know Show. It’s a fortnightly wrap up of the news, with a special guest every week.
Climate Courage
A fortnightly conversation on issues that matter to you and I, focusing on the actions we can all take. We’ll be back on Valentine’s Day!
18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile
Listed by Book Authority in the 100 Best LinkedIn Books of All Time and 22 Best New LinkedIn eBooks To Read In 2021 and 2022 categories. Grab it today if you want to take your professional presence to the next level! When it comes to LinkedIn, it really is time to ask — can you really afford not to have this book in the hands of every employee?
Are you a Social CEO? The Social CEO: How Social Media Can Make You A Stronger Leader.
Want to claim your stage? Unleash Your Voice – Powerful Public Speaking for Every Woman
Feedback
Have I done a great job for you? Can you write a reference on my LinkedIn profile or on my Google Business page? If not for me, why not write one for someone else who inspires you or has helped you? Join the #GivingEconomy.